How To Clean A Boat That Has Been Sitting In The Water

Are you wondering how to clean a boat that has been sitting in the water? A lot of products on the market claim to be capable of cleaning a boat. Depending on what your boat is made of different products are available to clean aluminum, steel, fiberglass, composite or wood boats.

You will need:

water

rags or diapers

cleaning agent

mask (optional)

goggles (optional)

pail or bucket

scraper

Choose a good area to clean the boat. To properly clean a boat that has been sitting in the water choose an open area to work in. Aside from toxic fumes from cleaners, water will be sprayed and splashed around to clean the boat. Make sure to choose a sunny day with low humidity to clean a boat.

Mix cleaning agent according to package directions. Different products require different degrees of water being added to properly clean a boat that has been sitting in the water. Follow all recommended instructions on the package.

Remove debris. Use a scraper to remove dirt and barnacles as these accumulate on boats that have sat in the water. Depending on the material of the boat, you may want to follow up with a blasting to remove remaining debris.

Clean the boat. An optional power wash before cleaning the boat will loosen remaining debris, etc. to allow for the cleaning agent to work better. Clean the boat that has been sitting in the water using rags to work the cleaning agent in. Rinse after applying the cleaning agent and allowing to sit (according to manufacturer instruction).

Fill and sand. If the exterior is pitted from barnacles, etc. you may need to fill and sand the boat as it has sat in the water a long time. Use proper filling material for the boat exterior.

If your boat has water tank(s), water lines, water pump, and/or an outboard Motor, these will need to be cleaned or replaced. If you purchased a boat with these items on the boat you will need to have these all cleaned or replaced as well. Check the condition of these items before deciding if replacing is more advantageous to cleaning them.